Factors Influencing Measure-based Adaptation of Rice Farmers for Slow-Onset Hazard: the Case of Saltwater Inundation in the Philippines and Vietnam

Almaden, Catherine Roween C.; Diep, Thanh Tung; Rola, Agnes C.; Baconguis, Rowena D. T.; Pulhin, Juan M.; Camacho, Jose V.; Ancog, Rico C.

doi:10.1007/s00267-020-01332-2

Published: 17 July 2020

Factors Influencing Measure-based Adaptation of Rice Farmers for Slow-Onset Hazard: the Case of Saltwater Inundation in the Philippines and Vietnam

Catherine Roween C. Almaden ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0506-9173¹,
Thanh Tung Diep²,
Agnes C. Rola³,
Rowena D. T. Baconguis³,
Juan M. Pulhin³,
Jose V. Camacho³ &
Rico C. Ancog³

Environmental Management volume 66, pages 629–643 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

This study sought to determine the factors influencing rice farmers’ adaptation to a slow-onset hazard such as saltwater inundation. The research is based on a survey conducted through personal interviews using Kobotool App consisting of 326 coastal rice farmers in Northern Mindanao, the Philippines and 258 rice farmers in two provinces in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. There were four levels of analyses for the assessment of the feasibility of the adaptation measures implemented by the farmers. First, it classified adaptation measures into specific categories: technology based, farm-based crop management, ecosystem-based adaptation, off-farm income diversification, and other measures. Second, it developed a multi-criteria assessment tool on adaptation measures based on stakeholder analysis and expert judgment based on four major feasibility criteria. Third, it determined the level of adaptation based on the combination of measures and the feasibility of the chosen measures by constructing a measure-based adaptation index (MAI). Finally, it came up with a model showing the factors influencing the MAI of the farmers. The results revealed that adaptation takes place at different levels in the two countries based on the diversity of measures, the feasibility of the various measures, and the varying conditions of saltwater inundation. The empirical evidence provides systematic support for the hypothesis that adaptation measures are influenced by a confluence of social, institutional, and economic factors.

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded through the Collaborative Research for Young Scientists Program of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Commission of Higher Education.

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Northern Bukidnon Community College, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Philippines
Catherine Roween C. Almaden
Tra Vinh University, Tra Vinh, Vietnam
Thanh Tung Diep
University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, The Philippines
Agnes C. Rola, Rowena D. T. Baconguis, Juan M. Pulhin, Jose V. Camacho & Rico C. Ancog

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Catherine Roween C. Almaden
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Thanh Tung Diep
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Agnes C. Rola
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Rowena D. T. Baconguis
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Juan M. Pulhin
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Jose V. Camacho
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Rico C. Ancog
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Almaden, C.R.C., Diep, T.T., Rola, A.C. et al. Factors Influencing Measure-based Adaptation of Rice Farmers for Slow-Onset Hazard: the Case of Saltwater Inundation in the Philippines and Vietnam. Environmental Management 66, 629–643 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01332-2

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Received: 05 December 2019
Accepted: 04 July 2020
Published: 17 July 2020
Issue Date: October 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01332-2

Keywords

Adaptation measures
Saltwater inundation
Measure-based adaptation index
Determinants of adaptation
The Philippines
Vietnam